Cast-in U-channels are now commonly used in the construction industry, in particular for allowing such components as mounting brackets or hangers to be installed along the U-channels. During construction of, e.g. concrete walls, such U-channels are pre-installed at and tied to appropriate locations of reinforcement bars. A steel sliding formwork is then positioned against the U-channels to form a cavity in which concrete is poured. However, if the U-channels are not properly installed, or not tightly tied to the reinforcement bars, or if the positions of the reinforcement bar grid are not accurate, when concrete is poured into the cavity, the U-channels will be buried beneath the concrete, as shown in the left hand side of FIG. 1A of the attached drawings. Thus, when the concrete is set and the formwork is removed, the U-channels cannot be readily accessed. Workers have to locate the whereabouts of the U-channels and remove the concrete covering the buried U-channels, as shown in the right hand side of FIG. 1A. Such will take considerable time, and will therefore increase the cost and time of construction.
In addition, the U-channels may not be properly oriented relative to the surface of the formwork, so that, when concrete is set and the formwork is removed, and as shown in the left hand side of FIG. 1B, in addition to be buried by the concrete, the U-channel is also slanted relative to the surface of the concrete structure. Even if the concrete covering the U-channel is removed, as shown in the right hand side of FIG. 1B, the U-channel may not be suitable for use at all.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a device for positioning a U-channel in a concrete structure in which the aforesaid shortcomings are mitigated or at least to provide a useful alternative to the public.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device for positioning a U-channel in a concrete structure which is adapted to bias the U-channel against the surface of the formwork facing the U-channel during formation of the concrete structure.
It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide a device for positioning a U-channel in a concrete structure which is adapted to bias the U-channel against the surface of the formwork facing the U-channel at a pre-determined orientation during formation of the concrete structure.
According to the present invention, there is provided a device for positioning at least a U-channel in a concrete structure, said device including an attachment member adapted to be secured to at least a reinforcement bar of the concrete structure; and a body member housing at least a first resilient member, wherein said body member includes a first body part and a second body part which are biased away from each other by said first resilient member, and wherein said second body part is engageable with said U-channel.